"This blog-a-thon submission comes from Joseph Kerski of the National Council of Geographic Education (2011 President). Joseph writes about why geography education matters and how it applies to each one of us."

Geography, is a subject where it takes all the skills from science, math, English, and social studies, and combines it into a in depth thinking class. It makes you find the problem, fix it and tell how and why you fixed it . For example, a crop is not growing in a dry area, then you try it in a wet area and it grows, now you have to find out why it grows in a wet area and not a dry area and explain why. It is good to start out early learning about the basics in the core classes then later in the more advance classes, to understand how to fix a problem.

This map shows the time lapse of a lake in Sao Paulo in Brazil and shows how the water is running low.

This relates to unit 1 because it shows the maps as It is a GPS map and a GIS layering map. This a basic definable part of this unit because of its maps, scale, sense of place, identity, and overall relativity. This is a simple GIS layering map over the Jaguari resovoir.

Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, which provides one third of the countries GPD, is now running low or water due to one of the worst droughts in 8 years. There are more than 21 million people in this city and 13 million of them are facing water outages. If it doesn't rain soon, the city could face a collapse. The city has blamed the drought of lack of water in the vapor clouds that the amazon usually provides to the city. They also blame it on deforestation and global warming. President Dilma Rousseff has questioned the cities misusage of their water supply, claiming that the city mismanaged their water supply.

Accelerated through the fear from the attacks of 9/11 and all what followed, the so called ‘Western Society’ is constructing the greatest wall ever build on this planet. On different building sites on all five inhabitable continents, walls, fences and high-tech border surveillance are under construction in order to secure the citizens and their high quality of life within this system. The fall of the Berlin Wall was described as the historical moment that marks the demolition of world’s last barrier between nation states. Yet it took the European Union only six years to create with the Schengen Agreement in 1995 a new division only 80km offset to the east of Berlin.

This article explains how the world is filled with division and segregation. Some of the most notable are the walls are the wall in berlin, the wall/border/river/fence between the u.s. and mexico and the border between north and south Korea is the most notable walls.

This article relates to unit 4 because it shows how people, through borders, have divided them through history creating new politics, culture and borders themselves. The political processes involved can change the policies and shapes of nations in the world.

One urban planning professor has defined this as a process that occurs in discrete stages.

Much has been made of the wave of millennials moving to cities. In intriguing new work, geographer and urban planner Markus Moos of the University of Waterloo gives the phenomenon a name: “youthification.” Moos defines youthfication as the “influx of young adults into higher density” cities and neighborhoods. And in some ways these neighborhoods are “forever young,” where new cohorts of young people continue to move in as families and children cycle out in search of more space.

As opportunities are continually found in big cities, so too are young people migrating to these prosperous cities. Culture in the youth population has been restructured with new ideas, open mindedness, freedom, and also how the city offers many comforts. They plan out their future in the city because it has so many amenities, with amazing transportation in between other areas. Expectations are raised because young people consider things in different perspectives. New urban developments such as old manufacturing buildings being converted into housing apartments offer the youth suitable living arrangements and accommodations. However, mature populations keep being displaced to the suburban areas, due to different expectations. Older people prefer more relaxation in their lives and they are not very interested in the most advanced technologies. As young people keep moving to the big cities, these highly populated areas have to structure new patterns to develop urban sections.

America has more than 5,000 prisons. This is what they look like on our landscape.

Begley’s images capture the massive scale of this entire industry and the land that we devote to it (America has less than 5 percent of the world’s population but houses a quarter of the world’s prisoners). His website, in fact, includes only about 14 percent of all of the prisons he’s captured (each one is scaled to the same size).

This article is interesting from a geographic and social perspective, because the overhead pictures show just how much we alter the land with our prisons. What is really interesting is how the US has less than five percent of the world's population but has one quarter of its prisoners. Because of this, it can be inferred that the country has many prisons. Yet, what astonished me about the prisons is that they seem to be out in the middle of nowhere. The buildings seem expansive on the landscape and dominate it. It just makes me wonder, how much does the United States spend on building and up-keeping these complexes.

Take a tour through America's immigrant heritage — at its most and least welcoming

American politicians, and Americans themselves, love to call themselves "a nation of immigrants": a place where everyone's family has, at some point, chosen to come to seek freedom or a better life. America has managed to maintain that self-image through the forced migration of millions of African slaves, restrictive immigration laws based on fears of "inferior" races, and nativist movements that encouraged immigrants to assimilate or simply leave.

But while the reality of America's immigrant heritage is more complicated than the myth, it's still a fundamental truth of the country's history. It's impossible to understand the country today without knowing who's been kept out, who's been let in, and how they've been treated once they arrive.

its a very powerful insight especially with the slave trade. America has always been a country that depended upon immigrants for help. Immigrants have more importance towards this country more than anyone else, this is a raised immigrant nation whether some people like it or not. Some people need to realize that blood sweat and tears have all came from the immigrants, as much as its hard to realize for some people a lot of immigrants have worked hard to build this nation that we call home today.

This article is highly interesting in both historical and social contexts. The article asserts that the United States is a nation of immigrants and there is really no such thing as just "American". The article even states that Native Americans themselves, at one point in ancient history, crossed a land bridge that was between Russia and Alaska. Another interesting point of the article was the fact that many of the Latino immigrants today are actually picking up the English language faster than the European immigrants of old. Interestingly, this article leads to the conclusion that the "New World" is really comprised of immigrants of the "Old World".

This video (like part 1) shows some great examples of how the political organization of space and administration of borders can get complicated. Here are the examples (and time in the video when they are covered in the video) on these complex borders:

I work for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola needed to do this to stay competitive with us. We distribute Muscle Milk and have had a head start on this growing beverage segment for the consumer looking for protein. Hopefully KO can generate a successful product and challenge their main rivals to come up with a better product so that the consumer can win. Our product is also shelf stable and could be a viable alternative to help with the war on hunger in less developed countries. Here's hoping for KO to be in the game and for PEP to rise to the challenge!

As the main producer of certain crops and hogs, the state of Indiana has been chosen by Coca-Cola to spearhead a new innovative project regarding an improved flavor of milk in the future. Indiana’s prime location and abundance of raw materials positively contributed to the decision to establish the project’s headquarters in this state. As a result, it is expected that this innovation will boost Indiana’s economy and create for jobs and advancements in technology. This project allows Coca-Cola the opportunity to expand its brand and offer healthier beverage options to the consumer.

Canada is a massive country, yet it has one of the lowest population densities in the world. Despite this, Canadians have made a wide impact on their land, much of it visible from aerial and satellite photography. Hydroelectric facilities, roads, mines, farms, ports, resource exploration, logging, canals, cities, and towns have altered much of the landscape over the years.

This is a great set of images showing the human impact on the environment, with a special nod to our neighbors for the north. These images have an artistic beauty and I hope every geographer maintains a sense of wonder at the details and beauty of the Earth.

We are living in an era of receding glaciers, accelerating loss of species habitat, unprecedented population migration, growing inequalities within and between nations, rising concerns over resource depletion, and shifting patterns of interaction and identity. This website provides 11 geographic investigations aligned to the geographic questions in the NRC Understanding Our Changing Planet report. The report focuses on the future directions in the geographical sciences and how these key questions will guide research to help us understand the planet on which we live.

Austin's Mueller neighborhood is a new-urbanist dream, designed to be convivial, walkable and energy-efficient. Every house has a porch or stoop, and all the cars are hidden away.

After moving here, respondents said, they spend an average of 90 fewer minutes a week in the car, and most reported higher levels of physical activity. The poll results seem to validate new-urbanist gospel: good design, like sidewalks, street lighting, extensive trails and parkland, can improve social and physical health. Part II: A Texas Community Takes on Racial Tensions Once Hidden Under The Surface.

When Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28 1914, few could have known it would reverberate for four years of brutal war, leading to the fall of three European empires and revolution in what would become the Soviet Union. The past 100 years have seen another World War and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, but much of present-day Europe is based on the lines drawn following the conflict sparked by Princip's bullet.

With the new millennium, jobs have been changed. Also, with new technology, which has led to an increased unemployment rate, different kind of jobs have shifted during the last past two decades. Driver trucks are one of the vast modes of transportation in the U.S. and between Mexico and Canada. It does not require too much to be a tractor-trailer truck operator. Usually, the drivers have a high school diploma and attend a professional truck-driving school. As the economy grows, the demand for goods will increase, and more truck drivers will be needed to keep supply chains moving. Truck drivers provide an essential service to industrialized societies by transporting finished goods and raw materials over land, typically to and from manufacturing plants, retail, and distribution centers. As technology continues to advance, massive globalization seems to be a better option for the economy. Driver trucks present a good chance in the workforce. As a result, driver truck careers are projected to grow 11% between 2012 and 2022. Furthermore, truck driving is a part of American lifestyle, and one of the fastest growing of all occupations.

My uncles in Iowa grow corn for ethanol. They have a small crop where they grow corn they consume. It is literally the best corn I've ever had. I'm actually surprised Rhode Island produces almost $4mil in sweet corn. I'm amazed that Mass produces $100 mil in cranberries. I've seen a few cranberry bogs close down. We produce so much why can't we actually feed everyone?

These maps are interesting, in the fact that the heartland of the United States differs so much from either coast. Both the coasts, as seen in the first map grow fruits and vegetables. The center of the country grows wheat, and wheat is the dominant crop of the country. This might account for the reason why fruits and vegetables are more expensive than grain based products. The second map helps to drive home this point even further, of how different the coasts are from the heartland. What I also thought was funny, however, was the author's comment that it looks like an electoral map. Perhaps, the reason heartland states tend to side with each other and republicans is because of shared interests in the political arena.

"The position [that belief in God is essential to morality] is highly prevalent, if not universal, in Africa and the Middle East. At least three-quarters in all six countries surveyed in Africa say that faith in God is essential to morality. People in richer nations tend to place less emphasis on the need to believe in God to have good values than people in poorer countries do."

Interesting data in several different ways...Can draw different conclusions from this, and perhaps shed light on things that need to be modified/changed as it pertains to our belief... A balancing act of sorts...Thank you for curating this... Maybe it will help will cure certain beliefs we hold, individually, and collectively...

It would make sense that Indonesia is one of the most religious countries in the world being that it has the highest Muslim population. Also, I never thought of Europe as being religious countries which is why I am not surprised that 70% of Europe does not believe that the belief in God needs to be moral. Another reason why I am not surprised is because they are more popular for their ethnic groups such as the french group, italian group and german group. Also, they don't have focused religions. For example, Buddhism was originated in Nepal and worshipped mostly in China, Hinduism was originated in India, Jewish was originated in Israel and Islam was originated in Saudi Arabia and it's practiced mostly in Indonesia and Pakistan. That explains why most parts of Asia (at least southern Asia) has practices specific religions.

Summary- This figure explains the relationship between regions and their morality based on a God. It is evident what in North America is is almost a 50 50 tie between between believing in god is essential for morality. Only is Europe does God seem less important than the rest of the world. There are other countries such as Chile, Argentina, or Australia that have these same beliefs, but for the most part, most countries see a believe in God as an essential to morality.

Insight- In unit 3 we study the distributions of many things, religion included. Why do so many poorer countries have a stronger faith in God than wealthier ones? It may be because if their ethnic backgrounds, but I think there is more to it. I think when a country is poorer, more people reach out to their God for help. I also think that in wealthier countries there are distractions from religion such as video games and other mass produced technologies that get in the way of people researching their faith.

This video is cool because it shows the diffusion of name from one of the original languages of the world. It goes to show how all these countries in Asia end in -stan just because of what it means (loosely translates to "land"). This video shows the diffusion of language over time.

"Stan" is the persian term for "country." Also, it's a term for where people live as these countries are named after Kazaks, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Afghans and Pakis. Also, Iran has 5 different provinces that end in the term "stan" plus the many other regions around central. However, I don't understand why Iran wouldn't call itself "Iranistan." To sum it up, these 7 countries that end in the term "stan" are part of the persian empire and these countries' names were originated by persians.

"Confluences occur wherever two streams come together. If the gradient is low (i.e., nearly level) and the properties of the two streams are very different, the confluences may be characterized by a dramatic visible distinction as the mixing occurs only slowly."

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